Joining Hands Against Hunger
NEWSLETTER
Special Edition 2008

Our Resolve

“God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that God had made, and, indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1: 29-30)

In this Special Edition:

Rounding off the International Joining Hands Consultation, Ellie Stock leads the session on Vision and Hopes

From primordial days until now, God intends for all creatures to have food.

That is, of course, not the case.

Corporate takeovers are grabbing up water and land, privatizing what used to be free. Seeds undergo chemotherapy to kills pests in droves, and the chemicals filter below the soil to the water table. The world’s poorest people are being driven from their land in buy-outs that rival combat zones in violence. The teeniest top tier of the powerful scoop profits off the top through legal means, such as unbalanced trade agreements, or through corruption, so money never filters down to civil society for education, health, infrastructure or food.

 

None of this by accident; rather, this is by design.

Such carefully coordinated sin requires an organized response.

Let us therefore:

+ Ground ourselves in our respective religious traditions as we work to bring about peaceful social change.

+ Organize globally:

  • Alexa and Phil recapping the results
    to stop water contamination and privatization,
  • to achieve food sovereignty,
  • to develop fair trade,
  • to halt the displacement of the poorest by corporations and by armies and
  • to hold mining companies accountable for damage to the environment and for complicity in human rights and environmental abuses.

+ Design specific local campaigns that are issue-specific with:

  • a clear message.
  • a focused methodology.
  • ongoing trainings for old and new members.
  • links to similar campaigns within our global network.
  • ties forged with other coalitions and allies.
  • the recognition that conflict is essential to change.

+ Commit to sharpening our skills for this work and hold each other accountable by:

  • Training coordinators and companionship facilitators.
  • Sharing resources.
  • Acquiring language skills.

+ Broaden our methods for getting our message out and:

  • Engage artists.
  • Use music.
  • Develop roles for children.

Phil and Alexa facilitating the Resolve session during a plenary gathering of participants

International Joining Hands Consultation, July 13-18, 2008:

What we learned, and the tasks at hand

Learnings

Strengths

Challenges

Implications

Issues are interrelated

There is a design
behind the exploitation and corporatization of land, water, resources

Focus starts with one issue

Life is invaluable

Faith traditions
have abundant and critical values to commit to long term

Opponents are highly organized, and have overwhelming
forces

Campaigning can bring security issues, e.g. in Peru, Egypt, Lesotho, Cameroon

Networking and establishing connections is empowering

The program allows for transformation and mutuality

People are eager to learn at all levels

Information about available resources is shared

Peacemaking context broadens and enriches JH event

Bringing together JH
partnerships, especially foreign delegates is invigorating

The context for partnership issues is broadened and deepened

Common issues are discovered between networks

JH partnerships become
connected in global campaigns

JH Newsletter keeps everyone informed

Opponents are strong and well entrenched

Powers that be protect their own and investors' interests, not citizens'

To mobilize effectively, differences of languages and cultures need to be overcome, as well as great distances and rising costs.

In the face of fanatic fundamentalism, Churches and Christians are timid and/or terrified

The fear of being perceived as unpatriotic holds US people back

The sense of inadequacy needs to be overcome

Church and/or Partners are afraid of conflicts

We are often willfully ignorant about the depth of issues (GMOs, contracts, etc.)

We need to be accountable to each another

It is difficult to maintain continuity and momentum amidst change and leadership shifts

Networks struggle to shift from project oriented programs to campaigns, and often lack the capacity to be effective that way

Networks and Presbyteries struggle having to work with limited resources

It is hard to find a way to connect to our churches and our various constituencies

Sharpen skills, and get additional resources

Provide training for CFs and Coordinators

Share resources, and pool together to do things regionally

Improve language skills

Do more research

Effectively launch or connect Global Campaigns on:

  • Water (Andrew)
  • Food Sovereignty (Andrew)
  • Trade Justice
  • Resource Extraction (Valery)
  • Land (Sri Lanka, India, S. Africa)
  • and link the issues with their impact on HIV/AIDS

Refine criteria for campaigns

Adopt campaign building methodology

Renew, strengthen and broaden the organization of networks in US and abroad

Build coalition to help make this possible

Learn how to deal with conflict situations

Articulate our spiritual grounding

Develop and implement accountability towards each other

Connect with artists in the US to get the word out - to break loose in a new way

Involve children in the program and its activities

Adopt an overarching theme for JH, such as the Right to Life; or take on Bolivia's Joining Hands for Life as name for whole network, i.e. quality of life.

Develop a clear message

Use JH Newsletter to stay tuned to activities, issues etc. in other networks and campaigns


Organize exchange visits to learn how other networks do what they do

All of this is the responsibility of all of US.

Fanfan-Haiti interested in participating

Suggestions for future consultations:

  • Consider joint JH/PM meetings every 2 years as effective learning and planning opportunities
  • Allow more time for CF's to share with each other
  • Allow more sharing during these meetings
  • Meet in one of the network countries
  • Rally for $ to make this all happen; JH deserves it.